ing Mill, where he filled the position of book- now the town of Norton. He died June 23,

keeper for six years. He then went to Bos- 1766. On Feb. 8, 1710-11, at Taunton, he

ton, taking a position as bookkeeper in the married Hannah Tisdale, daughter of Joseph

office of a wool merchant, where he remained and Mary (Leonard) Tisdale, of Taunton. He

for twelve years. Prom there he went to married (second) Mary Clapp.

New York City and there held a like posi- (IV) Elijah Hodges, son of William, was

tion until the time of his father's death, born in 1724 (or 1725) in Taunton, and died



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 847

in Mansfield July 28, 1809. He lived in the Abishai Smith, son of Seth (2) and Sarah
North Precinct of Norton, which is now Mans- (Cobb), was born May 8, 1761. He married
field. During the French and Indian war he Nov. 10, 1785, Phylene Morey, born May 24,
served as a soldier. He was among those de- 1763, daughter of Thomas and Bathsheba
tailed from the 3d Bristol County Regiment (Godfrey) Morey. She died Aug. 2, 1839. He
on Aug. 11, 1757, with orders to march and served in the Revolutionary war, having en-
report to Lieut. Gen. Sir William Pepperell. listed several times during the memorable con-
He also served in the Crown Point expedi- flict. His father-in-law, Maj. Thomas Morey,
tion from May 12, 1759, to Jan. 2, 1760, as was major in the 3d Bristol County Regiment,
second lieutenant under Capt. Nathan Hodges. He was at the siege and capture of Louisburg
On April 19, 1775, at the news of the battle and Cape Breton. Mr. Smith's death occurred
of Lexington, he volunteered as private al- in August, 1839, when he was aged seventy-
though previously an officer, and served five eight.

days in the 7th (Col. John Daggett's) regi- Seth ' Smith, son of Abishai and Phylene,
ment, Mansfield company. In 1767 he was was born in Norton April 24, 1797. He mar-
elected on the committee chosen to apportion ried Feb. 15, 1826, Sarah Makepeace Wether-
the school funds among school districts, and ell, who was born Nov. 19, 1803, daughter of
in 1786 he was elected treasurer of the par- William and Eunice Wetherell and g|randdaugh-
ish. He married Elizabeth Reed, daughter ter of William and Hannah (Makepeace) Weth-
of Thomas and Sarah (Tisdale) Reed, of erell. Their children were: Sarah Jane, born
Dighton, Mass., and she died Dec. 6, 1803. Dec. 12, 1831, married Washington L. New-

(V) John Hodges, son of Elijah, born Feb. comb; Mary Elizabeth, born April 1, 1839,
27, 1765, at the age of fifteen was fifer of married Jolin Stephen Wood; Marcus was
Capt. John Allen's company when it served fori born July 20, 1843.

a short time in Rhode Island, in July, 1780.

He was captain of the Mansfield Companions. THORNTON (New Bedford family). (I)
He followed the occupation of farmer and was John Thornton is the progenitor of an inter-
quite prominent in his community. esting familv here in America, members of

(VI) Guilford Hodges, son of Capt. John, which have been valued and esteemed citizens
was born in Mansfield, Mass., April 22, 1800, of their communities, among them Elisha
and died there Feb. 5, 1882. He married in Thornton, the well-known druggist of New
1818 Betsey Brownell, born in 1796, in Rhode Bedford, and his sons, John Russell and Eli-
Island, daughter of George and Nancy Brown- sha, Jr. Jolm Thornton had ten acres of land
ell. She died in Mansfield Feb. 27, 1879. Mr. granted him in Newport, R. I., in 1639, he at
and Mrs. Hodges were the parents of ten chil- the time being in the employ of John Cogge-
dren. shall. On Oct. 12, 1648, he was one of the

(VII) Charles Maynard Hodges, son of twelve members of the First Baptist Church,
Guilford, born Nov. 8, 1834, made his home in full communion. He was a freeman of
in Mansfield. Mr. Hodges was a soldier in 1655. He removed from Newport and in
the Civil war. He married Dec. 14, 1856, 1679 was in Providence, R. I. He was taxed
Betsey White Tilson, born Oct. 24, 1837, in in 1679, and in 1680 was deputy, etc. The
Wrentham, Mass., daughter of William and Christian name of his wife was Saiah, and
Abby (Meserve) Tilson. Eight children were their children were: John; Thomas; Solo-
bom to this union, of whom, Blanche Brown- mon ; Elizabeth, who married Dec. 9, 1680,
ell, born Oct. 28, 1864, married Nov. 16, 1892, Edward Manton; Sarah, who married (first)
George Stephen Wood, of Norton. Zachariah Field and (second) John Gurney;

Smith. The Smith family, of Norton, of James; Benjamin, and William,

which the late Mrs. John Stephen Wood was (II) John Thornton (2), son ef John and

a descendant, have made Norton their home Sarah, married DinaR, daughter of John and

for upward of two hundred years. Hannah (Wickenden) Steere. Mr. Thornton

Seth Smith, who settled in the town of Nor- lived in Providence, R. I. He died Jan. 9,

ton, married in Weston, Middlesex Co., Mass., 1716, his wife dying before him. Their chil-

Sept. 30, 1725, Elizabeth Allen, of Weston, dren were: John, Josiah, Dinah, Stephen,

She died Sept. 26, 1796, aged ninety-seven. Ruth, Daniel, Elihu and Ebenezer.

Seth Smith (2), son of Seth, was born in (III) Ebenezer Thornton, son of John and

Norton Sept. 13, 1734. lie married Oct. 10, Dinah, married Ruth Smith, and their children

1754, Sarah Cobb, of Noi^on, and (second) of Smithfield town record were: Rachel, born

March 16, 1780, Rachel Newcomb. April 8, 1733; Stephen, July 7, 1735; Ruth,



848



SOUTHEASTEKjS^ MASSACHUSETTS



March 9, 1737; Daniel, Jime 8, 1739 (died
Sept. 5, 1748); Ebenezer, March 31, 1742;
Phebe, Sept. 3, 1744; Elisha, July 12, 1747,
and Mary, Sept. 23, 1750.

(IV) Elisha Thornton, of Smithfield, R. I.,
son of Ebenezer, born July 12, 1747, married
Anna Eead. He was the Elisha Thornton who
according to the Friends' records was the emi-
nent minister of the Society of Friends, whose
death is of record as having occurred Dec. 31,
1816. He and his wife had thirteen children.

(V) Elisha Thornton (2), son of Elisha
and Anna, born April 6, 1780, in Smithfield,
R. I., was engaged as a druggist in New
Bedford, where he died Aug. 13, 1854. He
married 31st of 10th month, 1804, Rebecca
Russell, daughter of Humphrey and Bethiah
Russell, of Dartmouth, Mass., and their chil-
dren, according to the Friends' records, were :
Joseph Ricketson, born Aug. 8, 1805 ; Sarah
Ann, born Nov. 15, 1806; John Russell, born
Oct. 8, 1808; Gilbert Russell, born Dec. 31,
1810; Mary B., born Jan. 15,. 1814; Elisha,
born Aug.. 1, 1815; Rebecca, born March 16,
1817; Daniel; Virginia; Frances, and Kath-
erine.

(VI) John Russell Thornton, son of Eli-
sha (2) and Rebecca (Russell) Thornton, was
born in New Bedford Oct. 8, 1808. He re-
ceived his educational training in his native
place and learned the business of druggist
under his father. Their place of business was
on the corner of Union and Bethel streets, and
their establishment was the leading one of its
kind in New Bedford. He was succeeded by
his brother Elisha, Jr., in the drug business,
while he engaged in other mercantile affairs
and was largely interested in whaling in asso-
ciation with Willard Nye and Dennis Wood.
Mr. Thornton was a thoroughly successful busi-
ness man of rare ability, and throughout his
life held a reputation for strict integrity that
not only commanded respect but marked him
as one whose efforts were worthy of emulation.
From 1867 until his death he was a director in
the Mechanics' B^nk and was a member of the
board of investment of the New Bedford In-
stitution for Savings. He was a charter mem-
ber of Acushnet Lodge of Odd Fellows and a
member of the Unitarian Church. A Demo-
crat in his political faith, he never cared for or
sought public oflfice. He was a well-known
figure in New Bedford, and reached a ripe old
age, passing away on Dec. 1, 1893, at his home
on the corner of Spring and Seventh streets,
and he was buried in the Rural cemetery.

Mr. Thornton married Sophia, daughter of
Dr. Paul Spooner, who for more than fifty



years was one of the leading physicians of New
Bedford. Mrs. Thornton died in middle life,
the mother of two children, a daughter that
died young, and a son, Walter Spooner, who
died unmarried.

(VI) Elisha Thornton, Jr., son of Elisha
(2) and Rebecca (Russell) Thornton, was born
Aug. 1, 1815, in New Bedford, Mass., and in
the schools of the place acquired his education.
His father and older brother, John R. Thorn-
ton, being druggists, Elisha followed in their
footsteps, becoming skilled in the business
under their direction. In time Elisha became
established in business for himself on North
Water street. Later on he became successor
to his father and brother at the old stand and
conducted the business for many years. He
became one of the owners of the Thornton
block, which was erected on the site of his
former place of business and later became
known as the Standard building. Subsequent-
ly he carried on his business on the northwest
corner of Union and Second streets, and he
opened a second store on the corner of Union
and Purchase streets. For a period Mr. Thorn-
ton had associated with him in business the late
William L. Gerrish, the style of firm being
Thornton & Gerrish. On Jan. 1, 1873, both
stores were disposed of to Messrs. C. H. and
H. A. Lawton, he himself retiring from busi-
ness.

First a Whig, then a Republican, in his po-
litical affiliations, Mr. Thornton was active
and zealous in politics. He was for years
chairman of the Republican city committee.
In the year 1857 he represented his ward on
the board of aldermen. He was six times
elected a county commissioner, holding such
office at the time of his demise ; and for several
years he was chairman of the board. His first
election to the office of county commissioner
was as the successor of John Baylies, who
died in 1863.

One has only to read between the lines of
this outline of the life of Mr. Thornton to
judge of his standing with the people of not
only New Bedford but Bristol county, for
through his long official relation he had be-
come well known all over the county. He was
universally esteemed and respected. Mr.
Thornton died July 24, 1879, at his home on
Cottage street. New Bedford.

Mr. Thornton married Marv Howland Allen,
of New Bedford, daughter of Thomas and
Phebe (Howland) Allen, and she survived
him many years, dying in June, 1900. They
had the following' children: Anna, born Sept.
30, 1839, died in infancy; Edward B., bom



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



849



March 1, 1841, resides in Pawtucket, R. I. ;'
Thomas A., born Oct. 4, 1843, resides, in New
Bedford; Anna (2), born Jan. 30, 1846, was
the first wife of Otis N. Pierce, and died Feb.
7, 1907; William, born March 9, 1849, resides
in Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Charles, born Aug. 13,
1851, died Dec. 25, 1856; Mary A., born Aug.
29, 1858, is the wife of Otis N.' Pierce, of New
Bedford.

DEAN-DEANE (Taunton family). The
name of Dean or Deane, originally spelled Den
or Dene, appeared in England soon after the
introduction of surnames. It was apparently
derived from the Saxon word "den" or "dene,"
meaning a valley, that word being taken as a
surname by the people who lived in the val-
leys. The family is probably of Norman
-origin, as the first record of the name is when
Robert deDen was butler to Edward the Con-
fessor, and doubtless one of his Norman fa-
vorites, as it is known he had estates in Nor-
mandy. Later the name is found among the
nobility in Essex, Northamptonshire, Hunting-
donshire and Oxfordshire. After the aboli-
tion of feudalism by Henry VII., the terri-
torial prefix "de" was dropped ; the letter "a"
appeared in the name during the days of
Queen Elizabeth, and it became "Deane."
Among the prominent bearers of the name
may be mentioned Henry Dene, Archbishop of
■Canterbury and Lord Chancellor under Henry
VII. ; Sir Richard Deane, Mayor of London
in 1629 ; Maj. Gen. Richard Deane, the regi-
cide; and Sir Anthony Deane, Comptroller of
the Navy.

For centuries the family have resided at
and in the vicinity of Taunton, Somersetshire,
England, and from that place came most of
the emigrants of the name to America. John
and Walter Deane, brothers, came to America
in 1637 from Taunton or vicinity, and were
the progenitors of most of the name in Mas-
sachusetts. They settled at Taunton, that
State, wliich city is said to have derived its
name from Taunton, in England. The Deanes
have been noted for their strong will power,
earnestness of purpose, untiring energy and
great integrity of character.

(I) John Dene, born about 1600, died be-
tween April 25 and June 7, 16.60, "aged sixty
years or thereabouts." He was one of "the
grand inquest, from Taunton, 1640." His
wife, who was named Alice, survived him, and
was probably living as late as 1668, on June
1st of which year she is mentioned in a grant
of Plymouth court. Their children were :
John, "born about 1639; Thomas, who settled

54



in Taunton ; Israel, a lieutenant in King Phil-
ip's war, who participated in the great Narra-
gansett fight, and who died unmarried; Isaac,
who settled in Taunton; Nathaniel, who died
without issue between 1660 and 1677; and
Elizabeth, born about 1650.

(II) Thomas Deane, son of John and Alice,
settled in Taunton. His will was proved July
15, 1697. He married Jan. 5, 1669, Kath-
erine Stephens, who survived him, her will
being proved June 12, 1726-27. Their chil-
dren were: Thomas, born Feb. I* 1670-71, died
Feb. 26, 1670-71 ; Hannah, born Jan. 14, 1671-
72, died unmarried about 1750; Thomas (2),
born about 1673; Deborah married John Tis-
dale; Katherine married April 17, 1710, Dea-
con Samuel Leonard; Lydia married George
Hall; Mercy married Daniel Williams; and
Elizabeth, born about 1688 and died March
18, 1758, married, Dec. 4, 1707, Deacon Ben-
jamin Williams (died Jan. 10, 1757, aged
seventy-one years).

(III) Thomas Deane (2), son of Thomas
and Katherine, born about 1673, died Sept.
10, 1747. On Jan. 7, 1696, he was married
by the Rev. Peter Thatcher, to Mary Kings-
ley, daughter of John Kingsley of Milton,
Mass. She died Feb. 1, 17*49-50, in her sev-
enty-fourth year. From them was descended
Hon. Josiah Dean, of Raynham, who was a
member of Congress in 1807-09, and who died
in 1818. Thomas Deane had a family, the
second son being Josiah.

(IV) Josiah Dean, second son of Thomas
and Mary (Kingsley) Dean, bom in 1699,
married in 1737, Jane, born in 1715, daugh-
ter of Capt. Nehemiah Washburn, of Brain-
tree. He died March 23, 1778, and she in
1757.

(V) Hon. Josiah Dean, fourth son of Jo-
siah and Jane (Washburn), born March 6,
1748, married Sarah Byram, who was bom
in 1750. He was a member of Congress from
1807 to 1809. He seems to have been a mem-
ber of the General Court in 1810. He died
Oct. 14, 1818, and his wife Jan. 13, 1849, at
the advanced age of ninety-nine years.

(VI) Eliab Byram Dean, son of Hon. Jo-
siah, was born in Raynham in 1788. He mar-
ried Charlotte iVilliams, daughter of Nathaniel
and Lucilda (Ilodges) Williams, the former
a Revolutionary soldier, of Taunton, and they
had a family of twehc children. He died Nov.
2, 1871. He was a manufacturer of iron in
his early life, but toward the close was a
farmer. He was a Whig and Republican in
politics, but never an aspirant for political
lionors. For more than fifty years he was



850



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



deacon of the Congregational Church at Eayn-
ham, of which his wife was a faithful member
until her death.

(VII) Theodore Dean, son of Eliab By-
ram, born in Raynham, Dec. 31, 1809, re-
ceived a common school and academic educa-
tion at Bristol Academy, at Taunton, Mass.
At eighteen years he commenced teaching and
taught four winters with credit to himself and
satisfaction to his constituents. He was reared
a farmer and manufacturer of iron and con-
tinued with h'ls father until 1848, when he
purchased hjs father's interest in the "old
iron forge" at Raynliam, and continued to
conduct a successful business until 1873. This
forge was the first in the Old Colony and one
of the first in America, those at Lynn and
Braintree having been established at an earlier
date. This forge or bloomery was established
by Messrs. Henry and James Leonard and
Ralph Russell as early as 1656. "The forge
at Raynham was the great joint stock company
of that vicinity and period." These works
were very profitable and the records show that
the shares were transmitted from father to
son 'or other heirs for several generations. Mr.
Dean was also a descendant from the Leonards
on his father's side, and through his grand-
mother Sarah Byram, daughter of the Rev.
Eliab Byram.

Mr. Dean removed to Taunton Aug. 15,
1866, and continued to reside there the re-
mainder of his life. He was a Republican in
politics and represented Raynham and Easton
in the State Legislature in 1866, serving on
the committee on Banks and Banking. In
1851 he was chosen a director of the Bristol
County Bank, and in September, 1853, was
chosen its president and continued as such up
to the time of his death, Jan. 19, 1885. In
1865 the name of the bank was changed to
"Bristol County National Bank." He' was
a director in various interests both at home
and abroad and in all his varied interests was
successful; he was one of Taunton's most re-
spected and wealthy citizens. He was a man
of energy and decision of character, with
strong convictions, which he did not lack the
courage to openly avow, and in all matters of
business or finance his rare judgment and sa-
gacity were unquestioned.

Mr. Dean married Lydia A. Lord in No-
vember, 1854, and they had three children,
namely: Florence, who married (first) Charles
D. Stickney (died in January, 1900), of Fall
River, and had two children, Harold D. and
Adelaide, and married (second) in 1901 Suth-
erland Orr, of Madras, India, who died May



8, 1908; Bertha; and Charles Theodore, who
died in August, 1865, aged five years.

BRIGHTMAN. The ancestor of the
Brightmans of Dartmouth and New Bedford
was (I) Henry Brightman, of Plymouth and
Newport, R. I., and Freetown, Mass. He
was made a freeman and juryman in 1671.
He was one of forty-seven to whom was
granted five thousand acres in Rhode Island
to be called East Greenwich, but he never set-
tled there. He was a deputy to the General
Court in 1682-85-90-91, and again in 1705-
06-07-08-09; constable in 1687; and member
of the grand jury in 1688. His wife Joan
died in 1716, and he passed away in 1738.
Their children were : Henry, who married
Elizabeth Lawton ; Hester, who married a
Chandler; William, who married Jan. 22,
1708, Mercy Spurr; Thomas, of Dartmouth;
Sarah, who married Hezekiah Hoar; and Jo-
seph, born in 1691, of Freetown, Massachu-
setts.

(II) Thomas Brightman, son of Henry and
Joan, married and was of Dartmouth, where
he deeded six acres of land to his son Thomas
for £36, this land being a part of his home-
stead. His children were : Henry, born Nov.
4, 1709; Mary, March 15, 1711 (married July
3, 1735, Benjamin Potter) ; Esther, Nov. 7,
1712; Sarah, Nov. 29, 1715; Thomas, Nov. 20,
1718; William, Sept. 20, 1720; Joseph; Pene-
lope ; Jane, born April 20, 1730.

(III) Thbmas Brightman, Jr., son of
Thomas, born Nov. 20, 1718, married in Lit-
tle Compton Dec. 24, 1740, Judah Manclies-
ter, daughter of Stephen. Their children were:
Elizabeth, born April 14, 1742; Martha, Dec.
3, 1743; George, July 3, 1746; Sarah, Jan.
18, 1752: Phebe, Aug. 28, 1754; Thomas,
Aug. 23, 1756; Hannah, Aug. 28, 175-; Par-
don, Sept. 24, 17—; William, 1761; Arnold,
June 5, 1763.

(IV) William Brightman, son of Thomas, Jr.,.
was born in 1761. On Jan. 8, 1785, his inten-
tions of marriage were published, Elizabeth
Shaw to be the bride. They became the par-
ents of Jeremiah.

iV) Jeremiah Brightman, son of William
and Elizabeth, married Sept. 4, 1808, Deborah
Potter, and their children were : Nathan P.
and Oliver Potter.

(VI) Oliver Potter Brightman, son of Jere-
miah, was born in Westport, Mass., FebL 7, 1822.
He spent liis boyhood in his native place, and
there attended school for a portion of the year,
during the remainder of the year going to sea
in the vessel of which his father was for many



SOUTHEASTEEN MASSACHUSETTS



851



years captain, in the coastwise trade. At the
age of seventeen he went to New Bedford, and
became an apprentice to learn tinsmithing and
plumbing, in the employ of Henry V. Davis
& Co. At the end of five years he was en-
abled to purchase Mr. Davis's interest and
became a partner in the firm, the other mem-
bers being his brother, Nathan P. Brightman,
and Isaiah Wood. When he became a mem-
ber of the firm, in October, 1844, the name
was changed to Wood, Brightman & Co., un-
der which style the business continues, al-
though Mr. Brightman and his brother were
not connected with the firm for some years
before their deaths, Mr. Brightman retiring
in 1881. The firm dealt extensively in tin
and sheet iron, and contracted for plumbing,
steam fitting, etc., and Mr. Brightman, being
a practical workman, was enabled to manage
his share of the large interests very success-
fully, so that the firm gained a wide reputa-
tion in the vicinity of New Bedford.

Mr. Brightman represented Ward Three in
the council five terms, 1862-63-64-65 and 1884,
and in 1885-86 he represented the district in
the State Legislature. He was a director of
the Citizens' Bank, and of several manufac-
turing corporations, and was also a trustee
member of the Five Cents Savings Bank. He
served several years as trustee of the Unitarian
Church, and was a member for some time of
Vesta Lodge of Odd Fellows. In 1853 Mr.
Brightman married Sarah J., daughter of Otis
H. Pierce, of New Bedford, and they had four
children: Charles 0., Edward P., Arthur G.,
and Sarah E. (who married Dr. A. L. Shock-
ley, of New Bedford).

(VII) Charles Oliver Brightman, son of
Oliver P. and Sarah J. (Pierce) Brightman,
was born in New Bedford, Mass., March 28,
1853. He was educated in the public and high
schools of his native city, and in 1870 went
to Providence, where he learned the carpen-
ter's trade, remaining five years. Afterward
he spent three years in Hartford, Conn., and
in 1878 he returned to New Bedford, where in
1879 he engaged in stair building, which he
had previously learned in addition to his trade.
In 1881 he became a general contractor and
builder, a business he has since followed with
success. Among the numerous structures
erected by him are the Wamsutta block, the
Haskell and Tripp stores, Adelphia rink,
House of Correction, St. Luke's hospital, the
New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank build-
ing, the Emerson building, the Union for Good
Works building, the Unitarian Chapel, the
Parker House addition, the Slocum building,



the Howland and Eotch mills, the Bennett
mill No. 2, the Columbia spinning mills No.
1 and No. 2, and the Samuel P. Richmond,
Clarence A. Cook, Charles M. Tripp, Charles
S. Kelly, Edmond M. Wood and other resi-
dences, all in New Bedford; United States
J^^sh Commission building at Woods HoU;
Globe Yarn mill No. 3, in Fall River; the
Masonic building, and "Tabitha Inn," in
Fairhaven, for Mr. Rogers; the "Converse
residence," in Marion ; and the residences of
Mrs. Frederick Grinnell and John W. Knowles,
in South Dartmouth, Mass., besides many other
buildings, dwellings, etc. He is one of the
leading builders in southeastern Massachusetts,
and employs from forty to three hundred men,
or about 125 on an average.

Mr. Brightman was elected a member of
the city council in 1887, and for three years
was a member of the board of public works.
He served as secretary of the New Bedford
Republican City committee for several years,
and has been a member of the Massachusetts Re-
publican State Central committee from 1892
to date, from the Third Bristol county Sena-
torial district. He was one of the commis-
sioners appointed by the governor to build
the new jail in Fall River. Mr. Brightman
is a thirty-second-degree Mason, holding mem-
bership in all the bodies of the fraternity, and
he is also a member of the Elks, of the
Wamsutta and Dartmouth Clubs of New Bed-
ford, and of the Quequechan Club of Fall
River. In 1908, 1909 and 1910 he was made
a member of the governor's council from the
First district.

In 1876 Mr. Brightman was married to
Anna Cronan, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and they
have had three children: Oliver C, Ella D.
(died in 1905) and Marshall C.

BATES. Not only in New England is the
name of Bates ancient and now common and
the family numerous throughout the country,